From 2008 to 2012, the percentage of black third-graders who passed the English portion of the state's standardized ISTEP test went from 39.3 percent to 82 percent.

Local leaders who presented the Indiana Black Expo's statewide report keyed in on the success reflected in the ISTEP figure and the fact that the percentage of black Lafayette residents, ages 25 and older, with a high school diploma went from 84.5 percent in 2000 to 89 percent in 2010.

And they should be touting those numbers. The ISTEP gains, in particular, were results of concerted efforts by Lafayette School Corp. and the community - with a good bit of pressure from the state along the way. In danger of failing, LSC elementaries restructured how students were taught, put parents on notice that they were part the solution and started marking the progress.

Judging by the other more sobering figures in the report, similar concerted efforts need to be applied beyond the schools.

Here's a sampling from the Indiana Black Expo report, helping to paint a trend line for a part of our population being born further behind:

? The percentage of black children living in poverty: 34 percent for a three-year range ending in 2010. That's up from 27.4 percent in 2000.

Across Indiana, the numbers were worse; 41.7 percent of black children younger than 18 were living in poverty.

? The percentage of black children born to unmarried parents in Lafayette: 81.2 percent in 2008. That's up from 71.2 percent in 2004.

In Indiana, for all races, the corresponding statistics were 43.9 percent in 2008 and 38.8 percent in 2004.

? The percentage of black families headed by married parents, in Lafayette: 21.8 percent in 2010. That's down from 43.3 percent in 2000.

In 2010, statewide, the corresponding statewide figure for married households was 33 percent for black families and 67 percent in married households.

? Median household income for black families in Lafayette: $23,955. That's 35.5 percent less than the median household income for all families in Lafayette, which was $37,162. Across the state, the difference between the median income for black households and all households was 35.1 percent. The difference in U.S. median incomes is 32.1 percent.

The upshot of the report: There's so much work to do, from education to the economy to expectations. A single segment of our community should not be stuck so far behind.

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Editorial: A tough state for black youth

On the plus side, the Indiana Black Expo's new 'State of Our Black Youth Report 2012' reflects some impressive gains for black youth in Lafayette.